Otago harbourtheme for video game developers

SEVEN years as an underwater diving instructor has helped inspire Kylie Jackson with parts of an interactive digital game.

The game, Pae Moana, is in its early design stages with Otepoti Games Company Ltd.

It is a feelgood genre called ‘‘cosy games’’ but is also an outdoor adventure and exploration game with cultural threads.

‘‘The name Pae Moana means sea level or sea horizon,’’ chief executive officer and company founder Ms Jackson said.

Abovesurface gameplay is loosely created around Otago Peninsula, Aramoana and the harbour.

Sunken hulks of shipwrecks in the game draw on Ms Jackson’s experience as a dive instructor in Otago.

Marine life features above and below the surface, and the game ties in cultural themes.

Sid Vinchurkar is the production consultant and has several years of experience running game studios in India.

The pair met about four years ago when Mr Vinchurkar moved to Dunedin to complete an MBA at the University of Otago.

Early last year, about 20 games development staff in Dunedin were made redundant, Ms Jackson said.

During the lockdown, online meetings between game developers led to an idea that brought about the creation of Otepoti Games Company.

The company was looking forward having a ‘‘vertical slice’’ — a decent portion of the game — at almost completion stage to take to overseas publishers or other investors to take the game to the next level, she said.

‘‘With the incredible support from Code, we feel really confident that we have got all of the backup, support and international networks to help us make this game really successful.’’